Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to systems for transporting and installing large photovoltaic modules, and more particularly, to a photovoltaic module handling system that does not require a conveyance vehicle to travel along the ground and that enables substantially automated and rapid replenishment of photovoltaic modules in a solar panel array.
Description of the Prior Art
Conventional solar panels typically are constructed using a plurality of photovoltaic cells that are electrically connected to one another in a series arrangement to form a large module. A typical solar panel of the type that is used industrially will weigh on the order of 120 kg, or more. Such large and heavy structures are heavier than a human individual alone can handle, requiring large equipment that travels back and forth in the array to replenish the supply of photovoltaic solar panels. This use of heavy equipment, however, damages the surface of the unprotected ground, requiring that grading and other procedures be employed to place the ground in condition for further use of the heavy equipment. The damage to the ground surface, coupled with rain and accumulated ground water, can easily increase the cost of operations and electrical production, and bring the project to a halt.
There is a need, therefore, for a system for installing, maintaining, and replacing solar panels that does not damage the ground surface.
There is additionally a need for a system for installing, maintaining, and replacing solar panels that does not require ongoing procedures that employ heavy equipment.
It is another problem with the state of the art that the population of racks with solar panels is a long and arduous process, causing inherent delays in bringing the solar panels on line. Delays in commencing the delivery of electrical power readily translate into lost revenue.
There is, therefore, a need for a system of bringing one or more arrays of solar panels quickly and efficiently into production.
Yet another problem with the current state of the art is that, since large and heavy equipment is required in the assembly of a solar panel array, the spacing between rows of such arrays must be large. Since space is generally at a premium in most solar farms, output power density, per unit of farm area, is unnecessarily low. Again, this underutilization of the solar farm land adversely affects the financial productivity of the project.
It is still another problem in the current state of the art that the use of heavy equipment requires associated workers to load and off-load the delicate solar panels. However, the solar panels are not only heavy, illustratively on the order of 250 lbs, they also are large, sometimes exceeding 3 m in length with a surface area approaching 6 m2. The result is inefficiency and an unacceptable amount of module breakage.
The heavy equipment that typically is employed in the installation of a solar panel array includes cranes, boom trucks, and the like, as well as excavation equipment that is used to repair the ground to a condition in which such heavy equipment can be operated. Oftentimes, the crane will be operated blindly, wherein the operator receives direction from an observer by radio. Damage to the delicate solar panels is unacceptably common.
There is, therefore, a need for a system that safely handles and transports solar panels without the need for large equipment and that does not unduly tax the capabilities of human labor.
There is additionally a need for a system that does not require large equipment for replenishment of the solar modules, whereby the spacing between adjacent rows in a solar panel array is reduced, thereby increasing the power output density of the solar project.